FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I don't understand why for me root cuttings (with artificial light) is better than stalk ones. The stalk ones grow a little in my situation, with dew, but brown in the middle and die but root stalk grow maturely. So, in general what factor is in the same condition, better with a different style of cutting and other one, different. One stalk cutting developed root, no insect problem or mold. With the root stalk, it seems that may be a little algae for example if the plant is growing fast.

cuttings from what kind of plant
I just do leaf cuttings from sundews, doesn't stress the plant and one leaf can make up to like 10 clones depending on what species you're cloning

If you think of the size of a plant in terms of its root stock, root cuttings have that initial boost. I'm not sure but I think that the starch store in the roots provide energy for the plant to grow faster and stronger. In comparison, a leaf cutting has minimal roots and must expend a lot of its energy from its own photosynthesis to produce roots, which make them a lot more vulnerable (I would think).

fattytuna wrote:If you think of the size of a plant in terms of its root stock, root cuttings have that initial boost. I'm not sure but I think that the starch store in the roots provide energy for the plant to grow faster and stronger. In comparison, a leaf cutting has minimal roots and must expend a lot of its energy from its own photosynthesis to produce roots, which make them a lot more vulnerable (I would think).

I think I understand what you are saying, though I have never noticed this to be a problem with leaf cuttings
My cuttings root quite fast, they do create a rhizomes or "plantlets" before they start rooting but i've never found them to be vulnerable or unhealthy, you have to keep them abit more moist but other then that they are perfectly healthy
id say the benefit of root cuttings is that its from a root, so i wouldn't think it really has to worry about making new roots till it gets bigger
the only problem is you can stress the plant you originally took the root cutting from, and most of the time you only get one or 2 plants per root cutting, and with flower cuttings you can get almost no plants atall, where as leaf cuttings can get incredible amount of plants off one cutting
and as far as flower stalk cuttings being weaker or inferior ive never had this problem, and I dont think it even makes sense seeing as how they are clones from the original plant, unless if the original plant was weak then the clones would be aswell or your conditions changed, roarke I think your flower cutting may have dried out is what happened
I suggest you do leaf cuttings so you will get more plants per cutting. That way if some of them die you will have more and wont have to stress the plant by attacking its roots or taking its flower stalk which could produce hundreds of seeds rather then cutting it for one single clone
Im told taking a leaf is equivalent to taking 5 or so seeds from a plant (energy wise)
where as you can imagine how much energy it took to create a whole flower possibly packed seeds or organs to make seeds if they haven't formed already
Like i said earlier its much less stress on the plant



(D. Dichtoma)
leaf cuttings are the way to go

I forget to tell you that i was talking about drosera capensis.